


Wet-Sucker-Free Zone

by sothereyougo



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Gen Work, Halloween, Ratings: PG
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 17:35:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20979743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sothereyougo/pseuds/sothereyougo
Summary: Warnings: Mild language; Spoilers: None? Pre-series; Pairings/characters: No pairings, Sam, Dean, cameo by JohnNotes: Title inspired by a quote from a great thinker. (Spoilery, so it's at the end.)Disclaimer: Well, other people made these people and these situations up first, and there's not a thing I can do about it, especially not profit from it in any tangible way. I wrote this in 2009 and thought it was time to bring it here for anybody that might like a little holiday spirit.Summary: Since I can't ply you with actual candy over the interwebs, here's something else loaded with sugar and all Halloweeny.





	Wet-Sucker-Free Zone

You’re so funny, Dean.”

Dean waggled the plastic-wrapped package at Sam, which made the store’s fluorescent lights do crazy things to the eye holes of the Devil mask on top, light sparking off the cheap red fabric of the Halloween costume wedged underneath almost like the glowing red monster eyes in a Scooby-Doo cartoon. Sam liked Scooby best and Shaggy and that smart girl, Velma, who did most of the thinking for the whole Scooby gang. He even liked her glasses, not that he’d risk spilling that information to Dean who was more of a Daphne fan as if that wasn’t the most obvious choice ever.

“Okay, then. How about this?” and Dean whipped another costume package from behind his back with a flourish and snickered out loud when Sam recoiled from the clown mask being shoved in his face.

Sam glowered but said nothing because he refused to feed his brother’s twisted enjoyment of his clown-fear. Clowns were evil, and someday Dean would find that out for himself. Sam only hoped he was there to see it and get in an “I told you so” at the appropriate moment.

“Hey, you’re the one who insisted on getting a costume in the first place. I’m just tryin’ to help.”

“It’s not like I actually want to dress up like an idiot, Dean. I’m only doin’ it cause if I don’t I’ll be the only one in my class. I hate Halloween. It’s stupid.”

Dean looked shocked, “Halloween is awesome.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Two words, Sam. Candy and chicks in slutty outfits they’d never wear any other time of the year.”

“That’s like fifteen words, Dean.”

“Completely missed the point, you scary little geek. Pick your own costume then, Sammy. I’m goin’ over to the candy aisle, but I’ll be right back. Don’t move from this section, or I’ll have ‘em say that ‘little lost baby, go to the cash registers’ thing over the whole store.”

“Do it and die.”

“Yeah, right,” Dean smirked over his shoulder as he headed off in pursuit of the best sugar-rush bang for their limited bucks.

Sam ran one hand idly over the remaining costume packages. He’d waited until the last minute to even mention this whole humiliating subject, so of course the stock was picked over leaving the least desirable choices. Somebody should tell Ms. Jenkins that fourth grade was way too old for this kind of thing. If dressing up by itself weren’t bad enough, dressing up for a whole school day was so much worse.

Also, Halloween was stupid, no matter what Dean said. All the lore was wrong, and it wasn’t cute or funny to play around with when the real versions of werewolves and ghosts could be lethal and were constantly trying to hurt innocent people and then Dad and Dean too when they went to stop them.

Forcing his mind back to dealing with the problem at hand, Sam picked up the one remaining pirate costume that was at least two sizes too small. Well, it was a thought at least. Sticking to non-monster stuff was best, and he didn’t need a costume really to be a pirate. He could just get a red bandana and an eye patch if they still had any.

The eye patches were further down the aisle with the dorky vampire teeth and assorted other Halloween junk like plastic jack-o-lanterns and cardboard skeletons for hanging on your front door if you felt like announcing to the world that you actually liked all this fake-scary garbage. No bandanas with them though. Sam sighed and resigned himself to waiting for Dean, since there was no way he was wandering off with that intercom threat hanging over his head.

************

“Aaaaargh, matey! Dance a jig for me, Sam. Show me your best stuff.”

“Can we just go now, please?”

“Dean, quit pickin’ on your brother. I expect both of you straight home from school today. You’re both on weapons prep. tonight. We leave 0600 tomorrow mornin’, and I need you sharp, Dean.”

The brothers immediately formed a two-man chorus of “Yes, sir.”

************

Dean scuffed his boot over the sidewalk as he kicked a stray piece of gravel skyward, “This bites. Katie Howard invited me over to hand out candy to geeky little pirates tonight. I was gonna get her all sugared up and then let nature take its course.”

“Oh, you mean she’d get a stomach ache from the candy and send you home to keep from barfing too.”

“Are you a pirate or a parrot? Cause all you do is repeat the same crap over and over.”

Sam elected not to answer, so they continued walking in silence for a while, just taking in the scenery. Even if he didn’t appreciate Halloween for itself, he had to admit that the idea of it made everything more atmospheric, the way the blue of the sky set off the yellow and orange and red of the trees that weren’t already bare, and he did like crunching the dried-up leaves under his feet even if it was corny. And then there were the big piles of brown ones neatly raked at the edge of people’s yards just perfect for . . .

“I’ll race ya, Sammy,” Dean yelled.

Then they were off, shoe soles slapping the concrete, Sam unable to keep from laughing at the sight of his big brother so intent on getting there first that his eyes went all narrow and glinty, and a crazy grin looped across his face. Dean power-kicked a swath all the way through, but even bringing up the rear with leaves spraying all over in his brother’s wake, Sam had plenty to sprawl into, both arms flying out of their own accord just as he launched his body feet-first into the pile, enough of it still left to cushion his landing smack on his butt before he skidded forward and then lay back to rest half-buried, all of it managed with just the right whoosh of rustle and crunch and smoky-sweet-smelling perfection if he did say so himself.

Sam tossed two hands full of leaves over his head and watched them flutter down, his own grin fading only when Dean said regretfully, “Better get goin’ or I’ll catch hell for you bein’ late for school.”

************

Dean was right by the front gate when Sam came out again, barely clearing the door frame before he’d snatched off the bandana and eye patch.

“So’d you win the prize for lamest pirate?”

“Yeah, I did. Whole gallon of rum. Only saved you about a pint though, since you’re a lightweight and all.”

“What?”

“Yeah, they give out liquor for prizes in elementary school now. Keeps us quiet in the afternoons, so the teachers can get in a nap once in a while.”

“I had a coupla teachers in elementary school I wouldn’t mind takin’ a nap with.”

“One track mind much? Wait. Here, I really did save you two mini-Snickers, so that takes care of the other track.”

Dean accepted the little orange plastic baggie that was covered with black cats and witches-on-brooms silhouettes and had the remnants of Sam’s candy haul inside, “Smart ass. Aw, no suckers?”

“Sorry, only got one Tootsie Pop. Grape. Ate it already.”

“That’s okay. Thanks, Sam.”

“You’re welcome.”

Dean crammed one of the Snickers in his mouth, instantly making a face like somebody whose wildest dreams had just come true, which made Sam giggle and shake his head affectionately. His brother got his money’s worth out of everything; that was for sure. It was a good way to be, Sam thought.

Around a still-significant glob of chocolatey-caramel-peanut goo Dean managed, “I know Dad said to come straight home, but we can hit one more leaf pile on the way if you want. Look for a really good one, Sammy.”

“Okay, I think I remember one.”

“Of course you do.”

************

It was only just starting to get dark when they got to their apartment complex, the light disappearing in a hurry this time of year and the air cooling just as quickly. There were already a few parents out towing really little kids and babies for early trick-or-treating to get them back home and into bed before the bigger, louder candy-seekers came out to play.

Their Dad met them at the doorway, “Come on in.”

“Hey, Dad,” Sam said.

“Yes, sir,” said Dean.

As he passed by, Sam felt his father’s fingers in his hair, “You boys have fun?”

Momentarily confused, he glanced up only to see the twig-end of a sizable leaf dangling from his father’s hand. His puzzlement turned into trepidation as he steeled himself to continue further up. He expected irritation or disappointment, but instead the dark brown eyes were twinkling, and there were dimples showing.

“We, uh, it was right on our way. Five minutes tops,” Sam explained anyway.

“It was my fault. I said we could,” Dean added.

“It’s all right, guys. People keep right on rakin’ ‘em up into those tempting piles. Sometimes, a man’s just gotta do what a man’s gotta do. Go wash up for dinner.”

Sam exhaled in relief as he headed for the bathroom. Although he would never enjoy it remotely as much as Dean did, parts of this one had him concluding that Halloween didn’t always have to completely suck.

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: Here’s the quote the title is based on (from It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown):
> 
> “Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker.” - Linus Van Pelt


End file.
